Animalogy: Conquest of the Animal World by Bassam Imam - HTML preview

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OTHER USES FOR ANIMALS

Dogs  and  cats  are  killed  for  their  fur  in  China,  the Philippines,  and  Thailand.  China  is  taking  the  lead,  with  an estimated  2  million  dogs  and  cats  that  are  bred,  slaughtered then skinned annually to sustain their fur industry. Many of the furs end up in Europe as toys or stuffed animals. Short-haired cats and German shepherd dogs are favourites. Dog fur is often mislabelled as coyote, raccoon, wolf, or any other name that can successfully  be  used  to  fool  the  consumers  and  customs officials.

The Dog and Cat Protection Act of 2000 forbids bringing in, sending   (shipping,   transferring),   producing,   selling   ormarketing of any dog or cat fur product.

However,  the  Federal  Trade  Commission  (FTC)  reserves  the right  to  exempt  certain  dog  and  cat  fur  products  because  of their minute size and quantity.

Dog  and  cat  fur  farms  are  overcrowded,  filthy,  disease infested; lack empathy, proper food, water, veterinary medical care, and climate control. Dogs and cats are often kept outside so their fur can grow thicker and longer.

Even the methods of killing are brutal. Dogs are generally killed by strangulation. The instrument of choice is a metallic chord.

Afterwards,  the  dogs  may  be  stabbed  in  the  groin repeatedly. Then, they're skinned, sometimes while still alive.

Cats  are  hanged  or  "drowned"  by  having  water  forcefully poured into their mouths. Like the foie gras birds, cats and dogs in the fur industry are unable to defend themselves. The executioner is intent on finishing the job.

Some warehouses containing cat and dog fur can be as large as football fields; they"re full to the rim (the roof).

Humans have literally conquered the animal world. Animals can neither run nor hide from us. We can use them for whatever purposes.   Eating,   wearing,   using   by-products,   observing, abusing,  loving,  studying,  vivisecting,  playing,  admiring, worshipping, hating, killing, incarcerating, cooking, vilifying, chasing,  hunting,  riding,  roping,  training  (for  acting  or performing unnatural acts), studying, or sporting.

Our  brain,  thumbs,  feet,  and  bipedal-style  walking  have enabled us to dominate the animal world.

Because  habitat  loss  is  continuous,  at  this  rate  most wildlife  will  be  housed  in  enclosed  areas;  zoos,  reserves, sanctuaries, national parks, or circuses (GOD forbid) sometime in the future.

The animal world is shrinking every single second of every single  day.  All  deforestation  destroys  creatures"  habitats

therein.

The Brazilian rainforest, like other forests especially in Asia   and   Africa   are   being   erased   by   large   impersonal corporations.  Cameroon  has  lost  nearly  90  percent  of  its original forest.

In  the  not  so  distant  past,  overhunting  was  the  primary culprit responsible for reducing wildlife populations.

Gross  habitat  destruction  causes  deaths  by  starvation, removes home ranges, destroys individual homes, causes wildlife to venture out for food and helps to introduce invasive species. Starving  wildlife  will  raid  crops  owned  by  farmers.  This  is happening in Africa and Asia.

The  bear  bile  farm  industry  uses  Asiatic  black  bears  to literally  squeeze  every  last  bear  bile  drop  out  of  these beautiful creatures (bear bile machines).

A  catheter  is  inserted  into  the  bear's  abdomen  (without anaesthesia), to drain the much sought after bile.

There  are  over  7000  "moon  bears"  in  Chinese  bear  bile farms.  There  has  been  a  25  percent  decrease  in  bear  bile farming, though. Although the Chinese government stopped issuing new licenses, this industry is still operating. Even if most of the  bears  are  eventually  freed,  there  will  still  be  others suffering immensely round the clock.

Moon  bears  are  locked  into  place  inside  a  tiny,  filthy cage.  The  moon  bear  cannot  turn  around,  stand  upright,  or properly lay down. This results in deformed bones  infections, constant pain, and extreme mental stress and agony.

Depending  on  the  farm  a  moon  bear  may  be  placed  inside another  cage  when  it's  not  being  drained  of  bile.  Don't  be fooled  though.  The  other  cage  is  barely  larger  than  the procedure cage. Some bears spend up to fifteen years caged in a bear bile farm.

Moon  bears  are  drained  twice  daily.  Veterinary  care  is considered an expensive luxury. As long as the moon bear's bile is extracted, owners are content.

Bear  gall  bladders  can  sell  for  up  to  twenty  times  the price  of  gold.  This  kind  of  enterprise  breeds  a  criminal underground.

Aside from cats and dogs, other animals are also farmed for their fur and leather.

Over  30  million  animals  are  killed  in  fur  farms  (fur ranches)  around  the  world  every  year.  In  many  fur  farms  the animals spend their lives in cages unable move around or satisfy their basic needs. Stress for the animals and the possibility of contracting diseases are two potential problems in fur farms.

Tiny cages are used to decrease expenditures while making maximum  profit.  Animals  that  are  naturally  free-roaming  or water-bound must stay put.

Genuine  fur  is  biodegradable  and  more  eco  friendly  than faux fur though.  Farmed animals that have spent their lives in fur farms may  not be able to handle being set free into the wild. They end up dying in large numbers or returning. That's not to say that their cages are nice places to live in. The fur animals have been de-animalized.

It was in 1534 while Jacques Cartier was in the Gulf of St. Lawrence that he took notice of aboriginals holding up beaver robes.

By the end of the 16th century the French were trading in supplies of new and used beaver robes. The incredible demand in Europe helped to sustain the beaver trade. Beaver hats were a specialty item. This incredible demand helped to sustain the fur trade in what was to later become Canada.

Soon, the beaver hats trade spread to Spain and Portugal. The Dutch were also active in the fur trade.

For Canada to form there had to have been animals therein, a prominent fur trade, First Nations expert guides and advisers, English and French settlements and later Allophone settlements. The animals were the first ones to live in the Americas.

The early aboriginal migrants would"ve had to return across the Bering Strait or would"ve died out if there were no animals in the Americas.

Big names involved in fur trading include Medard Chouart des Groseillier, Radisson, Simon Fraser, Pierre-Esprit Radisson, John Jacob Astor, Simon McTavish, and Alexander Mackenzie.

Fur animals, especially  the  beaver helped mould a viable Canada. Within the animal kingdom no animal in Canada has been as  important  as  the  beaver.  The  beaver  has  been  our  most important "unwilling contributor".

New ports and routes were established as a result of the fur  trade,  including  the  St.  Maurice  River,  Ottawa  River, Saguenay River, and the Ottawa-Gatineau system; to name a few.

The  Algonquin,  Iroquois,  Huron  and  Cree  Nations  were actively involved in the fur trade.

The Europeans traded knives, kitchen supplies, alcohol, and needles for fur owned by First Nations peoples. Alcohol was a valuable trade item for all; it was devastating to First Nations peoples.

The  fur  trade  and  exploration  of  new  travel  routes  went hand in hand. A short cut to China was desperately searched for.The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  (HBC)  was  the  first  corporation  in North America. The HBC was incorporated in 1670 by royal charter through Prince Rupert.

The HBC acquired enormous land mass only to lose it through Rupert's  Land  Act  of  1868.  In  effect,  the  HBC  lost  its  land empire.

The HBC had its beginnings in the lucrative and expanding fur trade. In 1821 the HBC merged with its number one rival, The Northwest Company.

Ivan  the  Terrible  once  sent  henchmen  through  Siberia  to confiscate countless animal furs. This confiscation eventually led to the conquest of Siberia.

Another  lucrative  enterprise  in  the  America's  was  sugar cane in the West Indies. For the French it equalled or perhaps excelled in importance to the fur trade.